Nigeria: Making the Planet Great Again - Nigeria's Role in the Green Agenda

opinion

"Nigeria, alongside other countries ... , shall continue to implement her commitment under the Paris Climate Agreement," Dr. Clement Adaku said, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Based on his full statement, Nigeria joined a robust network of countries, cities and companies, which rebuked Trump's decision to remove America from an agreement the world rushed to join with unprecedented speed. Trump's critics, standing on folders of research, confronted the decision, and liberal media headlines reached an iconic conclusion: "The US resigned as leader of the free world." From the White House Rose Garden, Trump pushed back with unsurprising "America First" arguments. He faulted the Paris Agreement's financial burdens, incremental compliance gains, affected jobs, household energy costs, and inequitable competition with China and India."

Putting aside a painful cycle of mismatched arguments on both sides, a tide is now surging to capture promising shares in the renewable energy market. The economic case for going green now operates in tandem with a moral obligation to "make our planet great again," as Macron said. Buhari accelerated the process for Nigeria to join the Paris Agreement by signing the pact during the UN General Assembly week in September 2016, and completed the process by signing the instrument of ratification in May 2017. That's the legal basis for the "commitment" Dr. Adaku spoke about. However, as with any law, enforcement is worth its weight in gold. Beyond declarations, Nigeria needs a smart roadmap to capitalize on its membership of the Paris Agreement, and benefit from prioritizing a green agenda. Here are some roadmap signposts to guide our sprint:

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